The present invention relates generally to adapting and expanding standard networking and communication protocols such as the Ethernet protocol for example to carry, transfer, and utilize information specific to the payload at the lower networking layers such as the data link layer where important networking and switching decisions are made. The OSI Reference Model For Network Communication defines seven different layers of distinct and separate functionality. These layers are the physical layer, the data link layer, the network layer, the transport layer, the session layer, the presentation layer and the application layer. Most packet oriented communication protocols are designed with a packet header section that carries all the information implementing the first six layers defined in the OSI Reference Model and a payload section that carries the information related to the application layer implementation. Upon transferring information from a source to a destination, intermediate systems only utilize the lower three layers of the OSI protocol, the physical layer, the link layer and the network layer, to transfer data packets between systems. According to the standard, these layers primarily contain information on how to transfer a data packet to the destination from the source. Nowhere has the standard reference model or the most widely deployed implementations based on it such as the Ethernet standard heavily used to carry Internet traffic provided fields to contain information about the payload carried by each data packet in the lower layers.
In the past this shortcoming was not critical since the original function of the Internet was to transfer time insensitive text files. Thus a user did not care whether his email or even static images were received in a halting asynchronous manner. In addition, the original designers of the Internet gave little thought to Internet piracy and the consequences of permitting a user to transfer information across the Internet anonymously. What is required is a method and/or device which can provide information about the payload of the data packet that may be optionally utilized to identify the packets of certain application for special treatment by the network. The information required may also include information related to the source of the data packet and other information that may be utilized to facilitate the assertion and possible enforcement of intellectual property rights of the data being carried by the network at the data link level. The data link layer provides the functional and procedural means to transfer data between network entities. In fact, normally network entities are only concerned with the information in the data link layer or the network layer in order to transfer the packet to the destination. The information for the data link layer is contained within a data packet header. If one could provide a limited amount of critical application specific information in the packet header, networking devices could optionally use this data to get involved in policing the network traffic for pirated or illegal transfers of information that is transferred through the web or setting priorities of transfer according to the types of information that are forwarded by the network. Unfortunately most communications standards do not have provisions to perform this function. In fact, no field in the IEEE Ethernet protocol standard specifically provides for space to input the necessary information. Ethernet was designed to treat all packets anonymously and equally. In the past this was acceptable since all packets carried text data with weak ownership claims and intellectual property rights attached to them. This is no longer ideal for today's network that carries strongly owned audio, video, and other time sensitive media type data. This innovation focuses on creating provisions with the existing and widely adopted networking standards such as Ethernet for identifying certain networking traffic types for special treatment including but not limited to making deterministic forwarding decisions and prioritization decisions.